Railway-car.



No. 684,624. Patented Oct. I5, I90".

B. VANDEBBILT. RAILWAY CAR.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1901.) (No J 5 Sheets-Sheet I.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR comelmsvmdubm,

m: Norms pzrzns 00,. Puomumu, wAsmucmn. o c

Patented Oct. l5, I901.

c. VANDERBILT. RAILWAY CAR.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1901.)

(No Model.) SShbtv-Sheef z.

TEE-

WITNESSES: A INVENTOR? V Gorne1iusVandefbilQ,

PEYERS co. wovournu, WkSNINGTO-l. u. c.

RAiLWAV GAR.

(Application filed Apr 9, 1901.

58heefs-Shmet 3.

(N 0 Model.)

INVENTOR- oa o voaoi WITNESSES M5 TNE uonms PETERS c0 mowuma, vusnmoww u. L

Patented Oct. l5, |90||. C. VANDEBBILT.

RAILWAY GAR.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1901.)

5 Sheets-Sheef 4.

(No Model.)

I ls,

t ma T 1o N m m I m & n T Q NEW ' ATTOR m: mums PETERS 00 vuorouv uou wisumuwu, a. c.

Patented Oct. l5, l90l.

SShaets-Sheet 5.

C. VANDERBILT.- RAILWAY CAB.

(Application filed Apr. 9, 1901.)

IN'VENTOR C01 neliuivamderbat H oaeauuca wnwnhn m ooaooouoooo (No Model.)

d scos Panacea; e e o e a o a a o OO BOOQOGOQQ.

WITNESSES i v w NrTno STATES FFICE.

PATENT RAILWAY-CAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 684,624, dated October 15, 1901.

Application filed April 9, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS VANDE RBILT, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, (and having a post-office address at Grand Central StatiomForty-Second street, in said borough of Manhattan, )have in vented certain newand nsefulImprovements in Cars, of which the following is a full and true de scription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, showing one embodiment of my invention.

This invention relates to improvements in car construction; and the object of my invention is to provide a new and useful carframe structure whereby the car-body is sus tained by the body-bolsters.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my new form of frame, showing the vertical beams or struts upon which the car-frame and car-body are to be secured and the trucks and wheels. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the car-body secured in position. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are respectively top, end, and side views of the car of Fig. 2.

Prior to myinvention it has been customary to construct a bed-frame or underframe, said frame usually consisting of center sills, side sills, end sills, and transverse beams connecting the longitudinal sills together, and to build the carbody upon and to support and carry the car-body by said underframe. In my improvements, however, I dispense with all underframes or bed-frames to support and carry the Weight of the car-body and suspend the car-body frame upon the bolsters of the car by means of vertical supports or struts connected near their lower ends to the bolsters. This results in greatly decreasing the weight of the car as a whole and in a considerable economy in cost of construction without impairing the strength ofthe car. Owing to the construction invented by methe supporting of the car-body frame upon the bolstore, and thus throwing the entire weight of the car-body frame and the load upon the trucksthe longitudinal beams or sills connecting the bolster-beams are relieved from the weight of the car and are useful principally for connecting the bolster-beams together and for taking up the longitudinal Serial No. 54,991. (No model.)

strains when the car is being drawn. The longitudinal beams referred to are preferably the two parallel central beams running the entire length of the car and passing through or otherwise connected to the bolsters. Obviously each beam may be made in three or more parts.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a hopper-bottom car made up of assembled rolled beams including I-beams, channelbeams, angle-irons, and body-plates, connecting-plates, and connecting angle-straps in ordinary cast or rolled commercial forms, the use of which effects a considerable saving of time and cost as compared with cars made of pressed steel or other special metal work. My improvements may, however, be incorporated in other forms of cars, and cars may also be made up wholly or partly of pressed or sheet metal or of metal and wood.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, AA indicate the longitudinal beams, I-beams being used by preference. The illustrated forms of bolsters are each composed of two channel-beams B B. In order to attain the greatest strength and simplicity in assembling the parts, the beams A A are each integral throughout the length of the car and pass through suitable openings in the beams B of the bolsters and are firmly secured there with by metallic angle-straps O.

D D D D indicate vertical struts or supports secured to opposite ends of the bolsters B, upon which the car-body frame is to be suspended. I prefer to use for this purpose channel-beams snugly fitting at their lower ends between the ends of the beams of the bolsters. To secure the struts to the holsterbeams B, I provide channel-straps E, Fig. 1, bolted to the backs of the struts and to the sides of the bolster-beams. The bolster-beams are also secured together and strengthened at their junction with the longitudinal beams by a cover-plate F, riveted to both bolster-beams at points outside of the longitudinal beams. Directly underneath said cover-plates are fitted king-bolt receiving or holding plates or blocks G, Fig. 5, of any suitable construction.

H H indicate the end sills of the car. I prefer that channel-beams, as shown, shall be used for this purpose. These beams are shown as being connected to the ends of the longitudinal beams A A by angle-straps similar to those used for connecting the longitudinal beams and bolster-beams, and in order to further strengthen the end sills diagonal stiffening-braces I, preferably angle-beams bent at their ends, are provided, and these are connected at one end to the ends of the end sills and at the other end to the longitudinal beams at points near the junction of the longitudinal beams and bolsters. The preferred form of car-body frame is made up of beams assembled together and has a number of metallic plates secured to the frame to form a hopper-car having two discharge-openings aft and forward of the central transverse line of the car and with inclined floors from the ends of the car and from the center thereof toward the hopper-openings. The car-body frame referred to is composed of the side beams J, preferably channel-beams, inclined downwardly from the ends of the car toward the center of the car, where their ends are connected by a longitudinal brace K, a channelbeam being preferably used for this purpose. The inclined bars JJ are riveted (see Fig. 5) to plates at at their juncture with the struts D, and the said struts are also riveted to said plates, thereby firmly securing the struts and beams together. The car-body frame is also provided at each side with vertical beams L L, extending upwardly from the beam K at the juncture thereof with the inclined beams J and with vertical beams M, situated midway between beams L. In order to secure the beams L and M with the beam K, plates a are provided and the beams are riveted thereto. The inclined floors of the car from the center of the car toward the hopper-openings are supported by inclined beams N N at the sides of the car connected through plates ct with the central beams M and the beams L L. At the sides of the car-body I also provide short end beams 0, preferably of channel-iron, and the opposite sides of the car-body at the ends thereof are connected by channel-beams P and Q, secured to the car plates and to end beams O by riveted plates (1. (See Fig. 4..) The car-body is also provided at both sides with top beams R, preferably continuous channel-beams, and these top beams are secured to the car-body plates and to the upper ends of all the vertical beams O, D, M, and L by metallic plates riveted to the car-body plates and to the beams.

X X indicate the metallic plates secured to the car-body frame to complete the sides and ends of the body, and these plates are braced and strengthened by an gle-bars S at the sides,

ends, and bottom of the car-body, said angle bars being secured to the plates X by rivets and to the beams of the frame and to one another where intersecting by plates a. (See especially Fig. 5.) The ends of the car-body are also stiffened by angle-beams T T,secured at their lower ends to the longitudinal beams A A (near the end sills II) and at their upper ends to the end beams P of the car-body frame. Rounded bars U, constituting the rungs of a ladder, are secured to the beams T and to the end plates of the car. In addition to the posts T the ends of the car-body are stiffened by two angle-beams V at each end of the car, and grasping-bars W are secured to the beams V. The said beams are connected at their upper ends to the ends of the end beams P of the car-body and at their lower ends outside of the ends of the end sills. The draft-rigging may be carried by the longitudinal beams A A and the end sills cut away to permit the couplers to project therefrom. Buffers may be secured to the end sills H.

While I have herein shown and described one embodiment of niyinvention preferred by me, yet I do not desire to be understood as confining my invention thereto. Obviously various other arrangements of parts will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in car-building,and these will be within the scope of my invention.

What I claim is 1. In a railway-car, a car-body frame hav= ing side and end beams, and a hopper-shaped body affixed thereto, said car-body frame being hung upon uprights carried by the carbolsters, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. A car whose bolsters are not connected by side sills, and having a hopper-shaped body formed with a car-body frame and af fixed sides, said car-body frame hung upon posts supported on the car-bolsters, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a railway-car, a hopper-shaped body having trussed side frames, in combination with bodybolsters, not connected by side sills, having posts secured to said bolsters, and with the trussed body hung upon said posts above the bolsters, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 8th day of April, 1901.

CORNELIUS VANDERBILT.

In presence of L. A. SHEPARD, JAMES J. Cosenovn.

IIO 

